Protesters set tyres alight while police fired tear gas as they tried to disperse those taking part in nationwide protests against the government’s approved increases in the budget bill for 2018, in Tunis, on Sunday.
Protests against deteriorating economic conditions kicked off across the country on Monday, following the government’s announcement of austerity measures and tax increases. Some 800 people have reportedly been arrested since the beginning of the protests.
Tunisia is under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its partners to cut its deficit and to create jobs, despite the fact that one of Tunisia’s most profitable sectors, tourism, has been suffering since 2015, when the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) carried out numerous military attacks against tourists.